Ephemeral Dance
by KaleidoscopeOfWords
Summary: In which Katara realizes she has not been gifted with the talent enabling her to do a simple task such as starting a campfire. Katara


Campfires, she decided, were a ridiculous matter. As she struck the pieces of metallic rock together for what seemed like the hundredth time, she felt the first bead of sweat trickle down her hairline. Biting her lip and sitting back on her knees with a huff, she asked herself why on earth Sokka couldn't just start the fire. But he had pointedly ignored her when she asked for help, only shrugging and disappearing into the woods with that boomerang of his and the Avatar trailing behind.

It wasn't like the wood would be lighting itself anytime soon, and it was getting dark. A rustle lifted in the nighttime air behind her, and she immediately turned, thinking that maybe Toph was coming out to help her from her tent after hearing the relentless strikes with the rocks.

But when her eyes met the banished prince's, they became blank instead of hopeful. Asking for help from Zuko was the last thing she would ever fathom doing, especially when it came to his firebending. Turning back around, she continued to strike the rocks with added vigor.

To her irritation, the dark-haired boy sat down on the log surrounding the fire and kept quiet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him watching her. She narrowed her eyebrows and struck again. But before the stones could touch, she froze. A heated breath danced across her neck, and she realized all too late that Zuko had crept up and knelt behind her.

"You just have to ask."

Ask him? She wanted to laugh at his smart remark. Instead she moved to the side, eager to put a comfortable distance between them. And waited.

He must have decided two could play a game because he waited also. The darkness was ensuing, and Katara had to squint to make out his expression in the darkness. It was smug. Who knew.

"This is ridiculous," she exclaimed softly, voicing her thoughts from earlier. "Light the fire, Zuko."

Even without a reliable source of light, she could see his eyes mischievously sparkling. That only upset her further. She pushed her hands on the ground and gracefully stood, one hand on her hip. Then she gave a frustrated huff and turned to leave.

A hand shot out and gripped her wrist, causing her to stagger backwards slightly. Before she could turn and catch his eye, maybe tell him off or wait for him to explain himself, he was already facing the neatly arranged (thanks to her) logs.

He didn't glance back to make sure she was watching. With a flick of his hand, a string of fire appeared, obviously controlled to an extent to obtain its slimmed flame. Another twitch and a second string join it. Slowly, the two fluttered in such a pattern that it almost made the fire seem beautiful. Fire, Katara thought, imagine that. She began to relax as the flames slowly made their final movements and entwined before diving at full speed down at the logs. There was a crackle, and an enormous flame sprouted that could only be attained with help of the prince.

For a minute, all she could do was stare at the fire, intrigued by how alluring it was. Fire, she had always been taught, was her enemy. It was the opposite of her element and therefore the most dangerous. But in that moment and after that small show, she realized its true beauty. Sure, it was completely different than water, but the beauty was there even in the sinuous element.

It was all she could do not to say thanks. Instead, she trained her eyes on Zuko and waited. When he finally took her up and looked her way, she made sure to get her point across before he turned back. She smiled a smile that was small but meaningful. And in that moment she found it within herself to actually not mind the boy who stood beside her.

Aang and Sokka returned, the latter with an obnoxious yawn and the former with a guarded look as he saw Katara and Zuko sitting side by side on the log, close but with a respected distance between them. He said goodnight and disappeared into his tent.

There was a rumble in the distance, and Katara lifted her head just in time for a raindrop to catch her eye, falling straight for her face. She reached her hand up to balance it in mid air, hovering it slightly above her before letting it drop on the ground. It was followed by others, few and then more than a few, until many droplets were streaming to the ground; she could never, ever bend them all.

She watched Zuko flinch beside her, and then jerk his hand to try and save the fire, but it was too late. The fire was undoubtedly consumed, leaving nothing but useless wet wood.

At first, the two just sat there.

And then she laughed, a laugh that caused her counterpart to turn and stare and watch and marvel at just what the waterbender thought was so funny. But then she immediately swerved her wrist so that the rain bended into two thin strips, and she began her own dance, starting out a timid copy of Zuko's before forming it into an incredible show, the rain falling every which way and swirling around her until she finally let it drop.

And then he was beside her, so close that she could see each drop of crystalline rain on his eyelashes. She was immobile, her hands out at her side, still in the position she let the water drop. He moved closer, if not just, and their lips were so, so close, and she could feel the fire on his breath, and she watched to feel what it would be like to kiss him very badly at that moment. Would it be as beautiful as the fiery dance?

But he only smiled, giving her the small smile she gave him early and stepped backed. He took his hand to her back and said gently, "You'll catch a cold."

And she didn't try to tell him that it was rain, her element; she would not get cold. Instead she followed him to their tents, watching the prince enter his. Right before the flap closed, she caught him looking back. But before she could gage his reaction, it swung closed, leaving her to mimic him and enter her quarters for the night. Careful not to wake Toph, she moved into her corner.

"I'd watch yourself, Sweetness," mumbled the earthbender as she rolled onto her side, unseeing eyes staring right at Katara. When she didn't get a response, Toph just shook her head and smiled.

As Katara replayed what had happened in her mind, she earned another quip from her friend. "You're heart's beating really fast."

Flushing, the waterbender flipped to face the other side of the tent, trying to get comfortable and making sure not to think of her past encounter. When she was finally lulled to sleep by the beating of the rain, Toph whispered knowingly, a hand place on the dirt ground, "But his is beating faster."


End file.
